Menswear brand Takeo Kikuchi redesigned their flagship store in Shibuya to create a comfortable retail experience to attract customers away from the highly popular online market. The store was designed by Schemata architect Jo Nagasaka, who was challenged to create a more enhanced retail experience that would enable customers to absorb the essence of the brand. After the store made its new home in a glass-clad building, Nagasaka decided to incorporate natural ventilation.

The building is housed in a traditionally enclosed space with typically artificial heating and cooling systems, but the architect reconfigured it, installing wood frame windows to allow the building to ‘breathe.’ The interior design includes benches lining the facade, removing the site from the idea of a traditional shop. Its lack of cash registers encourages laid-back browsing and purchasing, while the garden and cafe help to create a relaxed atmosphere.